SEMCOG’s Transportation Safety Plan Outlines Five Elements to Reduce Death and Injuries on Roadways

(SEMCOG, July 1, 2023)

Detroit, MI – The General Assembly of SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, voted to adopt the Southeast Michigan Transportation Safety Plan at its General Assembly meeting in Taylor last week.

“It’s all about lives,” said William Miller, Oakland County Commissioner and Transportation SafetyTask Force Chairperson. “Not even one death is acceptable on our roadway system,” said Miller.

The purpose of the Southeast Michigan Transportation Safety Plan is to identify the region’s key safety needs and guide investment decisions to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways for all road users, while promoting safe travel for all modes. This plan builds upon the 2015 Southeast Michigan Traffic Safety Plan and provides a comprehensive and aspirational framework for eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on Southeast Michigan roadways by 2050 using the Safe System Approach.

“To prevent deaths, we need to implement all five elements of a safe system,” said Michelle Nard, Macomb County Commissioner and Transportation Safety Task Force Vice Chairperson.

The Southeast Michigan Transportation Safety Plan guides regional safety activities across the five primary areas of the Safe System Approach: Safer People; Safer Vehicles; Safer Speeds; Safer Roads; and Post-Crash Care.

“AAA is proud to be part of this collaborative effort to create a safer traffic environment in Southeast Michigan,” said Gary Bubar, Traffic Safety and Public Affairs Specialist for AAA – the Auto Club Group and Southeast Michigan Transportation Safety Task Force Member. “This regional plan will contribute to the creation of policies and practices that support a Safe System Approach to eliminating fatalities and injuries on Southeast Michigan roadways,” Bubar said.

Historically, the number of traffic crashes and resulting injuries and fatalities have trended downward. However, progress has stagnated over the past decade, and fatalities and serious injuries are now on the rise. Since adoption of Southeast Michigan’s first regional safety plan in 2015, the number of fatal crashes has increased by 10%. On average, one person is killed each day in Southeast Michigan, while six more are seriously injured.

“SEMCOG is grateful to everyone who participated in the development of this plan,” said Amy O’Leary, Executive Director of SEMCOG. “While mobility is essential to the prosperity of everyone in Southeast Michigan, we have to put safety first as continue efforts to maintain and enhance the region’s transportation system,” said O’Leary.

The Safe System Approach focuses on reducing death and serious injury for all road users by accommodating human mistakes and keeping impacts on the human body at tolerable levels. Crashes will happen because people make mistakes, but the consequences of those collisions can be managed. This is the fundamental objective of the Safe System Approach.

While traditional road safety strives to modify human behavior and prevent all crashes, the Safe System Approach refocuses transportation system design and operation on anticipating human mistakes and lessening impact forces to reduce crash severity and save lives. What separates the Safe System Approach from the traditional approach to safety is the ethical imperative that not even one death is acceptable in our roadway system.